Desktop Learning Adventures

While we were examining the effects our screwy winter/spring weather was having on our trees this year, it reminded me of a cool idea I had many moons ago.   My school was in an area of Arvada they were redeveloping.  That meant trees that had been there for probably more than 100 years were being cut down to make way for progress.  I love trees, and in a high desert clime, I’ve always hated seeing old trees come down.  Anyway, they were in process of cutting down a huge old cottonwood tree when the idea hit me.   As a sixth grade teacher, we were responsible for teaching ecosystems, as part of our Outdoor Lab curriculum.  A cross-section,  2-4” thick would make an awesome teaching tool to support this unit.  We could use a clear-coat sealer to preserve the wood, adding legs to make it a table.  But the real use of this four to five foot diameter  disk would be a multi-purpose learning tool.  It would be our own “givin...

TeachersPayTeachers Fundraiser for teachers in OK I’ve lived in several “tornado friendly” places in my life.   Growing up in Sioux City, Iowa, I remember the tornado sirens going off during bad thunderstorms- usually at night.   My parents would march us down to the basement and make us stay in the “safe” corner until the all-clear.   Our neighbors would join us, as they didn’t have a basement.   Luckily, the tornados never hit where we lived.   They saved their fury for the farmlands around us. Fast forward a few years and now I’m in college in Lubbock, Texas. If you’re not familiar with the panhandle of Texas, it’s considered part of “tornado alley”.  I lived in the second-story of an apartment complex that was southwest of a trailer park.  It’s my understanding (and please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong) that tornados generally travel from a  southwesterly  to  northeasterly direction , skipping across the land,  i...

‘Tis the season for science fairs- a time for kids to explore and learn about something they’ve always wanted to know.  For parents, that often means a frantic midnight run to the local grocery store for poster board, vinegar and baking soda.  You know where I’m going with this, don’t you...  Back at the turn of the century, I worked in an at-risk school (actually, for most of my teaching career).  What I discovered was, if we wanted quality products from the kids, with real science learning, we’d have to let the kids work on their projects at school, helping them with the concepts. And that’s what we did... once.  Talk about chaos!  Have you ever tried to manage 28 different science fair projects at one time?  One word of advice- don’t do it! (OK, that was 3 words.)  We had more projects, but I’m not sure the learning was up to the standards we were after. The following year, we were four 5/6 multiage classrooms. The team got together...